Tuesday’s Tip of the Week, Embracing Sweetness

This isn’t much of a tip honestly, it’s more of an observation really. Ever since I’ve started trying out Asian cuisine, namely Thai, I’ve grown to realise the importance of adding some measure of sweetness to savoury dishes in order to create a well-rounded and balanced flavour profile in every bite. Now I’m not saying to go adding sweetness to something like this prawn pasta here, it simply won’t work, but in dishes that intend on generating a deep and rich flavor profile, some sweetness will go a great way in enhancing the general taste. Braises are one such example, something like an Ossobuco, I’ve found that adding a teaspoon of sugar or honey to the braise will elevate everything just a bit, the same goes for a long cooking tomato ragu, or a beef stew. I guess what I’m trying to share here is that experimenting with a teaspoon or two of sugar or honey in traditionally savoury dishes can be exciting at times, you might (probably will) miss the mark every now and then, but when it does work, the addition of a very subtle sweetness can take a dish from good to great.